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Fire-damaged Burlington church aims for Easter renewal

In the wake of a devastating arson fire in October, hope is in the air at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington. There’s a reasonable chance that services at the 19th century landmark will resume by Easter, in late April, said Debbie Ingram, a member of the church’s restoration committee.

Fire-damaged Burlington church aims for Easter renewal

Debbie Ingram examines a water-damaged wall at the fire-damaged College Street Congregational Church in Burlington on Thursday. Ingram is a member of the church's restoration committee.(Photo:
JOEL BANNER BAIRD/FREE PRESS
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In the wake of a devastating arson fire in October, hope is in the air at the College Street Congregational Church in Burlington.

There’s a reasonable chance that services at the 19th century landmark will resume by Easter, in late April, said Debbie Ingram, a member of the church’s restoration committee.

“The dying and rising theme is very strong in our faith,” Ingram said Thursday morning. “It’s a good metaphor for us.”

The most visible harbinger of progress is bittersweet: The church’s gutted steeple was removed in November and replaced by a squat, pyramidal cap.

Inside, crews have stripped out soggy and smoke-damaged carpets and drywall.

The cost of the cleanup is about $378,000, Ingram said, adding that “an outpouring” of donations from throughout the community have helped meet (and even exceed) a hefty insurance deductible.

Estimates for a full reconstruction and out-of-pocket expenses are underway, in tandem with negotiations with the church’s insurers, she added.

Restoration of the iconic steeple, clock and bell are on the wish-list.

In keeping with the denomination’s policy (the church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ), the congregation will be polled before options for restoration are pursued.

Some overdue improvements, such as better handicapped access, might be folded into the plan because they might be more quickly and cheaply executed in conjunction with repairs, Ingram said.

The plans underscore the congregation’s resiliency, and its quick shift of focus away from the bizarre circumstances of the fire.

Responding to a custodian’s report of an early morning break-in Oct. 23, police arrested Burlington resident Alaiksandr Bychkou — just as smoke was emerging from the mostly wooden steeple.

Bychkou, 32, later told police that “voices” had told him to go to the church and look for treasure, according to court papers.

Police, in a subsequent affidavit, said Bychkou also scoped out City Hall and the Unitarian Universalist Church at the top of Church Street in the days leading up to the arson.

The suspect pleaded guilty to burglary and arson charges Dec. 13 in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington as part of a deal that will result in his deportation back to his Belarus homeland.

Church leaders counseled prosecutors against pursuing harsh punishment for Bychkou.

They also said they would not avail themselves of a $15,000, court-imposed restitution penalty — because that could create a hardship for Bychkou’s wife, Tatiana Yakusheva, and the couple’s infant son.

Ingram said forgiveness was the obvious choice.

“We’d like to practice what we preach,” she said.

Contact Joel Banner Baird at 660-1843 or joelbaird@burlingtonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vtgoingup.

Church bulletin

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10 a.m. on Sundays at Temple Sinai (500 Church St., South Burlington). Until further notice, this is where the College Street Congregational Church meets for services

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7 p.m. on Dec. 20: a concert fundraiser at the Old Brick Church in Williston village, featuring the acapella group Root 7

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After the last service on Christmas Eve, the congregation (and the community) is invited to the Burlington church for a ceremonial ringing of its bell, which, after all, survived the fire

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For information on how to contribute to the church’s restoration fund, call the church office at 64-7704. Donations can be mailed to the fund c/o College Street Congregational Church, 265 College St, Burlington, VT 05401